A Live Wrestling Event by CSW

Last month was a hell of time for Independent professional wrestling in and around the greater Kansas City area (and within about a sixty miles radius from there) I attended FOUR shows in four weeks (which you can read about HERE), and I’m sure I could have done even more had time and money permitted. I’ve mentioned before that I have slowly shifted closer and closer to primarily watching and keeping up with local wrestling, and I think I’m honestly having more fun with the change. Don’t get me wrong, I still follow AEW, NWA, and a few others like MLW, but the big corporate shows have been taking a back seat. Crazy things are going on in the center of the map, and I wish more fans in this area were aware of just how awesome everything is.

My four-show run actually started way back on September 30th at Central States Wrestling – A Glitch in the Matrix, once again hailing from Lenexa Kansas. October was insanely busy for me, and I am just now getting to write this up, so I apologize to anyone waiting to see my thoughts on this show. As always Central States Wrestling provides a product that is, in many ways, the closest to a “TV brand” in the area, and as such is fairly story-driven as opposed to shows that are more self-contained. Thankfully, it is easy to jump right in at any moment, and with this show leading up to what I hope is a huge battle between the two tag teams that are currently tearing CSW down, you couldn’t pick a better time to get into it.

The big feuds and attractions to keep an eye out for here are the blossoming Gil Rogers winning streak, the war between The Tribe and Miracle Violence Reborn, Roscoe’s revenge campaign against his former clients The Premier, and Jeremy Wyatt’s first defense as the now unified Central States Champion. I’m going to go over what you may have missed at this show, and get you ready for the next one which is happening in less than two short weeks!

For more insight into even more ongoing feuds, check out my Preview of CSW A Glitch in the Matrix.

Without further ado, here’s what happened at the show!

If you want other wrestling shows, I would recommend Fite.TV. You can get some FITE credits (10 dollars I believe) with the following code: “6m6lyyn”. I’m sure there are other ways to watch some of these, but FITE has a solid interface and has been worth it so far.

The Card:

September 30, 2023 – Central States Wrestling – A Glitch in the Matrix – Lenexa Kansas at the National Guard Armory.

• Shain Boucher defeated Orion Starlight by pinfall
• “The Black Diamond” Luke Langley defeated “2^nd 2 None” Kenny Alfonso by pinfall
• “Magnum” Dak Draper VS Gary Jay resulted in a double count out, match was restarted
• “Magnum” Dak Draper defeated Gary Jay by pinfall
• Gil Rogers defeated “The Dred Nurse” Dred Roberts by pinfall
• The Tribe (Maddox, Anaya Howlett, and Hoodie Howlett) w/ Coach Frass Azab VS Miracle Violence Reborn (Derek Neal, Moonshine Mantell, and Austin Reddick) w. Greg Jovi went to a NO Contest – match was stopped by CSW owner Michael Strider who was attacked in retaliation – as a result Miracle Violence Reborn was suspended with no pay.
• Dan the Dad defeated Wrex Amadeus
• Mike Outlaw and “The Giant Slayer” Scott Tyler w/ Roscoe Leech defeated The Premier (SK Bishop and Campbell Myers)
• “The Monarch” Jeremy Wyatt (C) defeated “Spitfire” Davey Vega to retain the Central States Championship.

Match graphics below:

DISCLAIMER:

I usually go through a show and pull a half dozen or so things that I thought were significant, or that I liked, and concentrate on them, usually ignoring stuff I did not. You might think some of my choices are dumb, and that’s OK! We can all like different things, that’s what makes something like wrestling so great.

My Thoughts:

Orion Starlight hasn’t been doing too well as of late in terms of his CSW career. It all started back when he fought a losing battle against Ryan Gingell back at the beginning of the year. When he resurfaced, he took advantage of a heinous Miracle Violence Reborn attack against Adam Azab and issued a somewhat arrogant open challenge to fill the gap in the schedule – one that ultimately cost him dearly and reignited the career of Gil Rogers. The attitude change shocked most fans, slowly causing them to turn on him. This was most evident at Iron Sharpens Iron, when he grappled with Wrex Amadeus, who himself is not generally well-liked by the crowd. Wrex ended up being a fan-favorite by virtue of being against Starlight.

Facing off against the returning Shain Boucher, Orion Starlight seemed to finally break under the pressure of all the boos and jeers he was getting at this show, resulting in another loss under his belt. When facing a guy like Boucher, one that oozes charisma and feeds off the positive energy from the crowd, Starlight better either tone all his criticism out or try to change his mindset, because the path he’s on won’t put a lot of money in his wallet. We’ll see how it goes next time, and if this was simply a weird detour for Orion Starlight, or if he goes even further down this path.

Both Luke Langley and Kenny Alfonso have hit some road bumps in recent months, going from long winning streaks to being knocked down the ladder quite a bit. This match was, just by default, going to be a “righting of the ship”, of sorts, for one of these men. Both Luke Langley and Kenny Alfonso are prominent rising stars in the company, with Alfonso previously being granted a title match at a show earlier in the year, so you better believe that both men were hungry to tip the scales back in their favor. It was a hard-fought match and both competitors seemed fairly evenly matched from the get-go. The real change clicked into place when Langley exploited some moments where Alfonso was going for high-risk high-flying moves, delivering devastating kicks and even a brain buster in their place.

I was honestly worried we were about to see the worst of Luke Langley yet again, as his arrogance started seeping into the bout. Luke infamously suffered his first loss of the year to an energized Gil Rogers after arrogantly trying to “make a point” within their match. Rather than pinning the man, Luke started delivering a series of super-kicks to him. Gil was either “playing possum” to a degree, or used adrenaline to push through the pain and was able to steal the win. The moment Luke started this up again against Alfonso I cringed pretty hard, but I suppose he did learn a lesson about taking his foes lightly and was able to seal the deal this time around. “The Black Diamond” Luke Langley is back on track, hopefully towards a title shot, and I have a feeling he’s not going to take any more losses very easily.

This match was absolutely insane! As Dak Draper started to enter the ring after what most would consider a rather subdued arrival for Gary Jay, this real-life wrestling match suddenly became a videogame where Gary Jay was using cheat codes. Not one, not two, not even three dives to the outside were enough for Gary Jay as he absolutely demolished Dak Draper before the man could even get his jacket off. This relentless assault led to the match being deemed a double count out, and thankfully CSW management was having none of that. Everything was restarted and the real match began, albeit with “Magnum” Dak Draper a little bit worse for wear. If there’s anything any CSW fans know about Dak Draper, it’s that you can never count the man out, and he eventually overcame all of the odds, securing a win.

This was my first-time seeing Gary Jay in a live capacity and all I have to say is WOW. Like an unholy mix of Sami Zayn and Brody Lee, Gary Jay just moved near the very top of my “guys to look out for” list and is one of the many reasons I am planning to attend an upcoming TSW show this winter. This match probably stole the show for me, and I can’t wait to see both Gary Jay and Dak Draper again. Also props to Dak Draper, who during intermission, graciously allowed my son to take a weird picture where Draper was playing the part of a monster being killed, for his birthday. It went above and beyond, and seemed to make his night!

It was good to see “The Dred Nurse” Dred Roberts back in CSW after something like a ten-month absence from the company. Roberts is an imposing man, with a definite mean-streak, that I can see making some real progress in the company up into 2024. to me, he’s in the same sort of position as Luke Langley was a year ago – a guy trying to get his place lined up, but hitting a few brick walls on his way up the ladder. The wall this month was the white-hot rising star that is Gil Rogers, a long-time veteran of the area that that went nearly a decade with literally no wins in Kansas City. After all that adversity, most men would give up, but Rogers has begun to start a meteoric ascension to the top of the card after recovering from a potentially career ending injury last year.

Gil’s knee is a definite target for pretty much any foe he comes across, and you better believe that Dred Roberts used his extensive medical training to home in and attempt to dismantle every stitch and bit of rehabilitated sinew in there. Gil, however, has the heart of an entire pack of lions, and somehow was able to clench a well-earned victory once again. This win was enough to convince CSW matchmaker, Michael Strider, to grant Gil the #1 contendership and a title match in November at Bad Moon Rising. I’m excited to see what Roberts can do in the ring next time, but for now it’s time to get pumped up with the rest of Gil’s Army and hopefully watch him pull that title belt away from “The Monarch” Jeremy Wyatt.

I likely sound like a broken record here, but something has to happen to stop the rampage of Greg Jovi’s Miracle Violence Reborn before it’s too late. What started out as a fairly solid brawl between the teams of The Tribe (Maddox, Anaya Howlett, and Hoodie Howlett) w/ Coach Frass Azab and Miracle Violence Reborn (Derek Neal, Moonshine Mantell, and Austin Reddick) w. Greg Jovi, went to a No Contest after MVR seemingly got annoyed that they were not winning “as fast as they should” and started attacking everything in their way including huge electrical rigs and CSW Owner and Matchmaker Michael Strider.

The visuals of a busted open Derek Neal, pouring blood from his face all over the ring looming over an injured Hoodie Howlett, and Moonshine Mantell wrecking equipment near the audience was a definite sight to be seen, and I think Strider finally had enough. The match was ruled a no contest, Strider was attacked, and Miracle Violence Reborn was expelled from the venue without pay and suspended. Here’s hoping that stops the attacks for now, but I have a sinking suspicion that this isn’t over – not in the slightest.

You better believe that when you hear the opening bars of “Born to Run”, the crowd is about to be fired up, and everyone is about to have an absolute blast. Dad the Dad may not have the best record in Central States Wrestling, but he is probably one of the most entertaining guys on the entire roster. Whether it be wrestling whilst drinking a cup of coffee, whipping his opponents with his dad belt, or simply his fatherly presence in the ring, I think everyone can appreciate the embodiment of the protective nature and no-nonsense attitude that Dad the Dad brings into any match.

This was a rare singles match for Dan, who generally finds himself in three-way clashes, facing none other than the devious Wrex Amadeus. Amadeus has somehow built a fanbase in CSW, but seems to stay away from fully embracing any of that. Wrex is obviously in favor of acting like a slimy miscreant at every turn and trying to win by any means necessary. He has had some big wins, but Dan the Dad is just not somebody you take very lightly. Behind all of the silly finger pointing and chants Dan the Dad is a powerhouse that can take even the most conniving wrestler and put them in their place. In the end, “Your Father’s favorite wrestler” once again delivered his devastating backpack stunner and grabbed that 1-2-3.

If I were to time travel back to last year and tell a slightly younger version of myself that Roscoe Leech was going to selflessly sacrifice himself for the greater good, sort of like Randy Quaid in Independence Day, I would have laughed in my own face. However, that is exactly what happened towards the end of Central States Wrestling – A Glitch in the Matrix, when Roscoe valiantly stopped cheating being done by The Premier by driving his Steerable Knee Scooter for Foot Injuries directly into them likely injuring himself again in the process.

You see, Roscoe was the long-term manager of The Premier for almost all of the last year, but something happened after December of last year – he grew a conscience. SK Bishop and Campbell Myers slowly grew apart from Roscoe until the unthinkable happened – they beat him like a dirty rug right in the center of the ring. Now managing “The Giant Slayer” Scott Tyler, Roscoe Leech was able to secure yet another win for his illustrious Leech Talent Agency, once again showing everyone that he’s easily one of the best in the business. Who knows if this is the end of the war between these two sides, but with allies like Mike Outlaw and Scott Tyler, The Premier ought to find another guy to pick on, because Roscoe seems to be unstoppable.

After angering the crowd in a way that had to be seen to be believed, “The Monarch” Jeremy Wyatt had one goal at CSW A Glitch in the Matrix, and that was making short work of his opponent, “Spitfire” Davey Vega, and taking his fat championship paycheck home. When fans last saw him, “Spitfire” Davey Vega experienced a significant defeat against the formidable Krule at Violence Begets Violence, but began training for his comeback acquiring numerous singles championships along the way. There is no wonder why CSW management called him in to be the next challenger for the newly unified Central States Championship.

The match could have gone either way, but the experience and ring-awareness of the man sometimes called “The King of Kansas City” proved too much for Vega, leaving Wyatt the belt for at least one more month! While he didn’t get the win, you better believe that Vega’s standing in the company has improved since his last appearance, and I can’t wait to see what he does next. Wyatt’s two year reign of terror continues, and next up appears to be none other than Gil Rogers. Does Gil have what it takes to make Wyatt finally drop the strap, or will he be yet another statistic?

Conclusion:

Central States Wrestling – A Glitch in the Matrix, while not the most flashy entry in the CSW catalog, offered enough thrills, surprises, and action to blow the roof off the National Guard Armory in Lenexa Kansas yet again, leaving the sold-out crowd with huge smiles on their faces. I, for one, cannot wait to see what happens regarding the war between The Tribe and Miracle Violence Reborn. Greg Jovi does not seem to be the sort of guy to keep his boys at home no matter what sort of monetary risk he may be taking, so if I were anyone on the roster, I’d be careful come Novermber 18th! This war seems to be the main thing fans are on the edges of their seats about, and you better bet that nothing short of Jovi finally getting his commupance will make the fans happy!

Check back soon for a preview of the next show, and even more local KC area wrestling coverage!

Take take my word for it, check the full show out below:

Next Up: